Geometry Chart

Nashbar's new aluminum road bike series features our most legit road bikes to date--we're talking about the same material, technology, and components as the industry's top brands. The 105 Road Bike sports a no-joke T6-6061 custom-butted aluminum frame with a 1 ½"- 1 ⅛" headtube and a full carbon fiber fork with tapered steerer, so you'll experience race-level steering response and massive power transfer.

I purchased this bike last month but thought it best to get a little bit of saddle time before writing a review. Now after several training rides and a 100-mile weekend group ride (Hilly Hundred in southern Indiana, highly recommended, 2 days, 100 miles, 7000 feet of climbing) I feel that I can give a little insight.

First thing that must be said, you have to understand what you're getting here. This is a no brand aluminum frame with a cheaper wheel set with a 105 drivetrain that can be had at an amazing price. There are no real frills to the graphics, it isn't plastered in decals and it isn't super light, but it is a well-made bike with a price that can't really be beat.

The frame is well put together and the geometry is pretty straight forward. I have heard rumors that these frames are made in the same factory as large brand name but even if they aren't, they are still well designed. The bike handles well and seems appropriately stiff. It corners well without feeling too twitchy or unstable. (Technical descents on rough rural roads at speeds exceeding 35mph have a way of really testing handling)

The geometry puts you a little further down in the front than some of the "comfort geometry" frames out there but it isn't severe enough to cause me any discomfort, even on longer rides. The internal cable routing is a nice feature, one found on higher price level bikes.

I have put about 300 miles on the stock saddle and have found it to be pretty good for a cheap saddle. Saddle style is so subjective that it's hard to speak to that though. I also won't speak to sizing as that is really a subjective thing. I will say the 57cm fits me well after a little bit of seat set back adjustment.

The 105 drivetrain is the real draw here. The tiagra front mech feels a little out of place with the rest of its 105 co-workers but as you would expect, everything performs flawlessly. The breaks are nothing special but perform well and were easy to adjust. The remainder of the components aren't eye catchers but all perform well and help to keep the cost of the bike so low. The triple front chain rings matched with the 11-25 rear means this thing has some climbing potential but is still fast enough on the flats.

The wheel set has held up surprisingly well. One easy way to reduce the cost of a bike is to skimp on the wheel set and that's what I fully expected when I ordered this bike but to my surprise that have fared well so far. I am not a small rider (6', 230) and these wheels are not well suited for guys like me (20 spoke front, 24 rear) so I figured that after 100 miles of carrying my big bones while I and 4200 other riders try to avoid the mine field of potholes, they would need a serious truing, but both wheels are no different than the day I took them out of the box. I intend on replacing them, but only because a 32 spoke wheel will carry my weight much more reliably.

The bike arrived at my door almost assembled. I only had to install the seat post, stem and bars, and front wheel. The front mech needed a little adjusting but nothing major. I have not used the provided pedals but they appear to be of comparable quality to more expensive brands.

The bottom line is that you are going to have a hard time finding a better deal on a bike with 105 on it. Buying a comparably equipped bike with a brand name on it could cost you as much as double what your going to pay here. Granted you don't get a fancy decal on the down tube, and the wheels are cheap but this is really an intermediate bike at an entry-level price.

My first road bike and I did not want to under buy or over buy. The Guys(all bike heads) I ride with were very impressed with the quality for the $875 price except for the pedals but, I used them with no prolems. just fine for a nubie. It is a very nice looking not gawdy fun machine.

First off, I was skeptical of the comparison regarding the price of this bike to a name brand bike at $1,749. But after much research comparing components, it seemed legit. So I bit the bullet and ordered one.

I am glad I did.

As others have stated, the wheels needed truing and the transmission was way out of whack. So after putting the seat and handlebars on, I took it to my LBS the next afternoon. The salesman looked the bike over and after a few furtive glances around the shop, told me "dude, we can't come anywhere NEAR that price for a bike with these components. You'd have to spend another grand at least. Great looking bike!"

A week later I took my "big-name brand" hybrid in, dropped it off and traded for the road bike. I bought the hybrid a month prior and it needed readjusting. The Alivio transmission on it is worthless. I'll never buy another big-name bike again. With tax I paid $140 less for the hybrid vs. the 105 and the transmission skips gears, it's loud and doesn't shift smoothly whatsoever. There was no way I was going to drop a ton of cash for an entry level road bike with Claris derailleurs after riding the hybrid for a month.

I've now put about 30 miles on the Nashbar 105 and it is fantastic. It took me a while to get it dialed-in, but once I did...wow! At first I found the seat to be a bit uncomfortable, but I have just finished a 15 mile ride and my rear feels fine. I guess I'll use it until I feel I really need to swap it out. Also, after reading many threads concerning the Alex wheel set, I will probably upgrade when and if the rims start getting out of true/spokes breaking.

Bottom line: if you want an inexpensive road bike with mid-to-high-end components, this is the bike for you. It's lightweight, fantastic to look at, and the ride is great. Keep in mind that you'll most likely have to take it in to get it tuned, but even adding that onto the price of the bike, it's still a steal!

Great bike for the money especially with a 20% discount code. The bike is light, fast and handles well. Since I bought it, i've have about 200 miles already. I did upgrade a few things from the beginning, I replaced the original saddle which is extremely uncomfortable for me with a WTB pure V which I bought from nashbar and like others replaced the rim strips. I recommend this bike highly.

I was unfortunate to not see any feedback with other users of this bike, so i took a gamble with purchasing this item rather than the other "Famous maker with 105". Being active duty, it took about two months to receive the item(shipped to a APO/FPO address). All i can say was the wait was worth it! Bike came in packaged very professionally. Bubble wrap all over protecting all the valuable components was a plus. Assembly was fool proof. It took me longer getting off the bubble wrap! This bike looks gorgeous with the subtle white stripe along the frame with no unnecessary branding all over the place with "name brand" bikes, which is a plus for me. If you like a nice clean look then this is perfect for you. Once i assembled the bike, it took awhile figuring out how to properly adjust the derailleur. Thank god for the internet found some good instructional videos! Once i properly adjusted the derailleur, it rode super smooth! The seat is pretty uncomfortable, but that can easily replaced. After pumping up the tires, proper adjusting of the brakes and gears, the bike ran super smooth! Nice and stiff frame leads to zero loss in power compared to my old noodly frame road bike. I'm 5'8" and bought the 54" fits great! Took it on a 12 mile ride, and had no problems besides the front tire had a bubble which i'm planning to replace right away. All in all nice clean looking bike, with great responding components, but uncomfortable seat and tires should be replaced right away.

This is a great value on a bike with a 105 triple drivetrain, a configuration that's increasingly hard to find on the market. Lightweight, responsive and comfortable, it's perfect for serous training and trips of 35-50+ miles.

Only issue I had was bike shipped with short instead of medium cage rear derailleur (i.e. wrong spec) but Nashbar quickly remedied this with a replacement of both the derailleur and chain and I was up and running in no time.